


Fire In The Sky

by galaxeephan



Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Fire Fighter, M/M, Phan - Freeform, Phanfiction, fire fighter au, fire fighter phan, firefighter!Phil, firefighter!dan, in progress, phan fire fighter, phanfic, phanfictions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-20
Updated: 2017-06-06
Packaged: 2018-11-02 23:58:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,614
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10955430
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/galaxeephan/pseuds/galaxeephan
Summary: Phil feels like the odd man out at the fire station he works at, until he gets to know Dan more.





	1. Chapter 1

It was Phil’s first day at the fire station. He felt he could puke at any moment. When he arrived he was greeted by his new boss and was directed to the locker rooms. The other men were changing into their gear, preparing for any calls they might get. 

“Gentlemen!” His boss, Jake, called out.

Phil cringed. He was about to be introduced to everyone.

Everyone turned to look towards them. 

“This is Phil. Phil, this is everyone.”

Phil smiled nervously. 

Jake directed Phil to his locker.

“Hey, man,” a stocky, short, Asian man cheerfully greeted him with a high-five.

“Hello,” Phil replied. He was relieved when he met the high-five evenly.

Jake gave him the combination to his locker and left him to change into his gear. He turned to his locker, glancing sideways at the others. The men returned to their conversations and continued getting dressed, leaving Phil to his thoughts.

He changed quietly then turned to lace up his boots. He glanced up and noticed one of the men’s lingering looks. He took in the man’s brown hair, deep brown eyes, bare shoulders, and tall stature. He gulped and stared down at his shoes determinedly. When he was completely dressed he left the locker room, doing his best to avoid looking at the same man. 

Later, he had discovered that the man who had been looking at him was named Dan. And the cheerful man who was very friendly, was named Mark. 

They did not receive any calls that day. For that, Phil was grateful. He got time to meet everyone officially. His new co-workers did not fuss over him or single him out.

But although they were welcoming to him, he did not know what to offer the group. He ate lunch quietly, and completed all of his side tasks quietly. At the end of the day, he changed quickly and silently, then left work. 

He still had unpacking to do at home, after all. 

When he returned to his small one-bedroom, he checked his cell phone for calls and saw that he did have one from his sister. He dialed her back immediately as he opened up a box marked ‘kitchen’. Inside he found his toaster and coffee maker, amongst other things. 

“Hey, Phil,” his sister, greeted him, having read her caller ID.

“Hey.” 

“How did everything go?”

“It was fine,” Phil said. “It was like most first days, you know.”

“Yeah,” she agreed. “I just wanted to make sure everything went well, and, uhm,” she hesitated.

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“I know but maybe if you did-.”

“I don’t want to, though,” Phil repeated.

“Okay, I’m sorry. I’m glad everything went okay, thought.”

“Yeah, me too.” He agreed. “I have unpacking to do, though, still.”

“Okay,” his sister sighed. “I’ll let you go for now, then.”

“I’ll talk to you later.”

“Later,” his sister agreed.

 

Dan heard a loud crash and glass breaking and knew that a chandelier must have fallen from the ceiling behind him. He looked back to see that Phil was still close behind.

Phil shot Dan a thumb up so he turned forward again. He was growing very hot in his gear. Sweat was running down the side of his face but he couldn’t wipe it away. He trudged forward through the building, hearing crashes and cracks around him. Phil stayed just behind him the whole way through as they checked for anybody still in the building. 

Outside he knew they were trying to put out the building, but it had been growing out of the control when they arrived. They didn’t have much time. 

Using his radio, Dan instructed Phil to check down a hall and that he would go another way.

“No,” Phil said, his voice coming through the device in his ear. “We can’t split up. I’ll go with you.”

“We’re running out of time!” Dan argued into his radio. “Just go before we waste more time.”

Dan knew Phil would’ve sighed but after a moment’s hesitation he went the way Dan instructed him to go.

Dan continued to the other side of the apartment in the building.

Phil went down the hall, checking bedrooms and looking over his shoulder in case Dan should return to his side. 

Phil then heard a woman’s cry in the last bedroom. He burst the door open and found a brunette in the center of the room, looking helpless, clutching her hand. 

“C’mon,” Phil shouted to her. 

Hope filled her horror struck face and she followed without hesitation. He led her back through the apartment now that he had the door open for her. A few times he had to backtrack as the path he and Dan took had become blocked by fire. He looked around for Dan as he went through the building and radioed for him, but got no response. 

When he finally exited the building he helped the woman to an ambulance where she was given oxygen. Phil turned back to the building, but his work mates attempted to stop him.

“Dan’s still in there!” Phil said, shaking their hands off him. He couldn’t leave someone in a fire. Not again.

He ran back into the building this time, radioing for Dan. He returned to where they split up and found the ceiling/floor of the apartment above them had collapsed. Dan’s suit was peeking out from beneath the wooden and cloth debris of half a couch.

Phil lifted the couch with some exertion. The couch must’ve hit Dan in the head, because he was out cold. Phil turned the other man over. He didn’t react.

So Phil brought Dan to his feet by his armpits, then wrapped his arms around Dan’s legs. He threw the other man over his shoulder and turned with a sway. He headed out of the building.

He carefully trudged down stairs and under barely stable door frames. He let out a breath of relief when he finally exited the building. He sat Dan down in the back of an ambulance and pulled his helmet off his head to allow an EMT to give him oxygen. He pulled his own mask off to get a better look at the unconscious man. 

Despite just coming out of a burning building Dan seemed so peaceful. It almost calmed Phil’s own nerves. The rest of the team was still working on putting out the building but one of them approached Phil and asked what happened. 

Phil explained that Dan made him split up because they were running out of time. Then, he turned and vomited into a patch of grass. 

 

Later that day, Phil and the other men were changing from their work clothes in the locker room. 

Dan had awoken a few minutes after receiving oxygen. 

After everyone from the apartment building has been attended to the fire fighters were cleared to return to their station. Their shifts came to a close and they began to complete their end of the day duties. 

The other men excitedly cheered and high-fived when they decided to head to the bar after changing. Phil avoided eye contact with any of the other men. 

He always felt as if he didn’t quite fit in at the station. Not only was he a somewhat new fire fighter there, but he felt as if he was probably the only gay one among them, let alone from anywhere on the LGBT spectrum. Not that he had asked, but he wasn’t about to.

“What about you, Phil? Are you up for it?” Dan said, approaching him.

Phil looked up.

“I kinda owe you a drink or something after all,” Dan said and it took Phil a moment to realize he was referring to pulling him out of the building that day.

“Oh,” Phil waved a hand dismissively. 

“Yeah! C’mon Lester!” One of the other men urged him excitedly. 

He smiled sheepishly when all of the attention turned towards him.

“Okay, okay.” Phil stopped as everyone cheered again. He closed his locker, relieved to be officially done for the day, and said, “But just for a drink.”

 

 

Phil took solace in his car, waiting to enter the bar for a few minutes. He hadn’t been to a bar since his college days. But he didn’t expect his co-workers to have as much energy as college students. It can’t be too bad, he thought. It was Friday, after all.

He exited his car with a deep breath. 

He walked passed a few other guests, who were smoking, as he approached the doors. Upon entrance he noticed that the bar was not as loud as he expected it to be. He supposed that it was too early for it to be very loud yet. 

“Hey! You made it!”

Phil caught sight of his co-workers and smiled. He approached them and took an empty bar stool beside Dan.

“We thought you almost bailed,” Dan said. 

“Nah,” Phil replied. 

The rest of the men were paying more attention to a game on a television on the wall. Almost immediately he was greeted by a blonde bartender. 

“What can I get you?”

Phil requested a hard root beer, glancing sideways at Dan.

“Coming right up,” the blonde said and turned to retrieve the bottle from the cooler. 

As she placed the bottle on the bar in front of Phil, she asked, “Would you like to pay as you go, or start a tab?”

“Put it on my tab,” Dan jumped in. 

“Sure.”

The bartender turned away again.

“So who do you watch, Phil?” Mark, one of Phil’s coworkers, asked.

“Huh?” Phil looked over, seeing that Mark was referring to the game the other men were watching.

“Oh, I don’t really watch sports that much.”

“Oh,” Mark replied. “More of a video games person?”

“Uh, yeah,” Phil replied. He was pleasantly surprised. He had expected a negative response to his declaration of not being a sports person.

“I don’t really watch sports that much either,” Dan said to him quietly. 

“Oh?”

“Yeah.”

As the afternoon continued Phil sipped on his drink while the other men watched the game.

One by one, they announced they were leaving for one reason or another. By around dinner time, Dan and Phil remained.

“Do you want another beer?” Dan asked Phil.

“Not really. I’m probably going to take off pretty soon here, actually,” Phil confessed. He was growing hungry for dinner.

“Yeah, we don’t want to be around when all the partiers come out.” Dan agreed. “But I just wanted to sincerely say thank you for today.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Phil made a dismissive gesture. He added, “Anytime.”

Dan didn’t respond, but watched as Phil took the last sip of his beer.

Phil began to stand and Dan jumped up as well. He waved to the bartender and said, “Hang on. I’ll walk you out.”

Phil stood and adjusted his sweater, then stuffed his hand into the pocket. The bartender approached. 

“I just wanted to pay,” he said.

“Okay, give me just a second,” the blonde said. She returned in a few moments with a check presenter. Dan put a twenty into the book and left it on the counter. 

“Okay, let’s go,” he said, putting his own hands into his pockets. He led the way out of the building and to the parking lot.

“Where are you parked?” Dan asked Phil.

Phil gestured to a section on the left side of the parking lot. 

“Well, I’m over there,” Dan gestured to the opposite side of the parking lot. “But I’ll catch you on Monday.”

“Okay, catch you later,” Phil replied.

Dan turned away and Phil did the same. 

He glanced back about halfway to his car, finding it astonishing that Dan was walking around as if he hadn’t nearly lost his life in the burning building that day. He pretended to himself that he was not just watching the way Dan walked.

Dan reached his car, turned towards Phil as he unlocked his car, then waved with a smile.

Phil blushed, was grateful that Dan could not see it, and waved back.


	2. Chapter Two

Dan awoke early on Monday morning. These days were always the most difficult. Every Monday he had to relearn to go to bed early, after spending the weekends playing video games late into the night. He felt as if he could sleep for days. 

But he forced himself out of bed and into the restroom where he rinsed his face in order to wake himself up. When he returned to the bedroom, he lowered himself to the floor, took a breathe, then got into his sit-up position.

After a solid work out of calisthenics, he returned to the restroom to shower. 

Dan missed sleeping in, flexible work schedules, and not having to be so strict with his diet and exercise from when he worked in a restaurant, but he didn’t think he could give up being a fire-fighter. The pay off was well worth it. He could help people and had a secure, well-paying career. 

But he never felt as though he completely fit in at the station. They invited him out occasionally, to which he couldn’t really muster up a ‘no.’ But he spent most of that time in his own thoughts and waiting for someone to speak to him first. 

Until Phil Lester began working there. 

He naturally gravitated toward the man and it wasn’t just because of his looks. Phil was not nearly as obnoxious as a few of the other men at their station. They were also normally partnered up on calls, which allowed them to grow closer.

But despite this, he had yet to confide in Phil on his sexuality. Let alone any of the other men. 

Dan was bi. And he had known this since high school. He wasn’t inexperienced, but didn’t boast about it either. He didn’t think any of the other men suspected him to be bi. Or they at least didn’t mention that they did. 

He also didn’t know what Phil identified as, but he still appreciated his looks. Phil was 100% his type. Dark hair and light eyes. Although he had the suspicion that Phil regularly dyed his hair. Having dark hair and light eyes was such a rarity that he must have.

On his way to the station, he continued to muse over Phil and his looks. Especially, his looks.

He grew warm in shame, when he remembered his enormous blunder of splitting up in the burning building on their call on Friday. He certainly owed Phil more than a drink at a bar. 

He didn’t know how to approach Phil to offer him dinner, or at least some kind of reimbursement.

“Hey,” Phil said to him as he began one of his morning tasks, pulling him from his thoughts.

“Hey,” Dan replied with a smile. 

“How was your weekend?” Phil asked him.

“Not bad,” Dan said and confessed: “I’m tired. How about you?”

“Mine was good.”

“Get up to anything interesting?”

“Uh. I finished unpacking.”

“Oh, that’s good!”

“Yeah.” Phil said with a half-nod and a smile. “Well, I better…” He gestured to his work.

“Right,” Dan agreed and returned his own work.

 

Later that day, towards the end of their shifts, Dan approached Phil. They were in the locker room. He mentioned the name of a game shop that sold consoles and games and said that he would be going after work as their was a new game coming out.

“Would you like to go with me?”

“Uh,” Phil shifted from one foot to the other. “I suppose,” he said, throwing his work belt into his locker absentmindedly. They were both mostly dressed; they were in their undershirts and jeans. And for that, Phil was grateful. He glanced around furtively and was relieved that they weren’t earning the looks of the other men. Then he glanced back to Dan, and to his broad, bare shoulders. 

“Cool. We can take my car if you want and I can drive you back here? Or whatever you want,” Dan offered.

“I’m down for whatever. That’d be best actually,” Phil continued. “Because I live in the other direction from there.”

“Okay, for sure. I’ll meet you outside in a bit then.”

“Okay, cool.”

Phil continued returning to his street clothes and gathered up his things. The evening shift men were arriving and greeted a few of the morning shift men. 

Phil closed his locker, tugged on it to make sure it was locked, and then headed for the exit of the locker room. 

“See you, boss,” Phil said to Jake as he passed his office.

“See you, man!”

 

Phil went out to the parking lot and waited patiently by his car. He scrolled through facebook for a few moments while waiting when he heard Dan call to him. Phil looked up and saw that he was a row over. He pushed off the car while waving back and headed over to join Dan.

“Ready?” Dan asked.

“Sure.”  
Dan climbed into the driver side of his car, while Phil did the same on the passenger side.

Dan mentioned the game again, and that he was excited to play it.

“Yeah. I’m a little bit more of a books person myself, to be honest,” Phil confessed. 

“Oh,” Dan said. He opened his mouth to say something else, but Phil added: “I like to play every now and then, though.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t have made you come with if I knew you weren’t that much of a gamer.”

“You didn’t make me,” Phil insisted. “I don’t mind.”

When they pulled up to the game shop, which was located near the mall, Dan and Phil both climbed out of the car. They approached the shop and stopped to look at a poster for another ‘coming soon’ poster. Then, Dan led the way into the game shop and held the door open for Phil and another man who arrived just after them.

They idly walked along the rows of games, magazines, comics, and movies. There was also cute collectibles scattered throughout the store. Phil loved to browse, so he didn’t mind whenever Dan stopped to read the back of a case or book. Plus, he enjoyed seeing Dan get excited for things.

When they came to the rack of ‘New!’ games, Dan picked out the one he originally mentioned and they wandered back to the cashier stand. 

“I’m so excited for this,” he said. “I probably can’t play today, though, because I’ll end up playing all night.”

“Yeah, that wouldn’t be good,” Phil said with a smile.

“I’ll just stop to look at it every five minutes until I can,” Dan joked.

Phil let out a low chuckle and smiled at Dan to see him beam back.

They seemed to fall into an easy comradery, which Phil appreciated. He supposed that saving a person’s life would generate bonding. 

Dan paid and they exited the shop. As they walked back towards Dan’s car, a voice said behind them, “Excuse me.”

“Oh, sorry,” Phil mumbled as he and Dan parted for the man to pass.

“But anyways,” Dan went on. “Maybe we can have a gaming day this weekend. Or something.”

“Uhm, we could. I’ll let you know if I can on Friday,” Phil said. As if he might make plans by then, he thought to himself humorously.

“Okay, awesome.”

They climbed back into Dan’s car and they headed back to where Phil was parked. 

“Sorry that you’re going out of your way and stuff,” Phil said, feeling slightly guilty.

“Oh, no. It’s on the way for me so it’s totally fine,” Dan said dismissively

“Oh, okay. Cool.”

Dan pulled away from the store and out of the parking lot. He turned on the stereo and a CD began playing. He immediately recognized Muse.   
Initially Dan turned the volume down.

“No, turn it up,” Phil encouraged him. “I love this song.”

“Oh, yeah!” Dan obliged to Phil’s request.

On the way back to the station where Phil’s car was parked, they discussed fandoms. They took turns asking, “Have you seen-?” They had Muse and Harry Potter in common, amongst a few of the other fandoms they were a part of.

“Have you heard the new Paramore song?” Dan asked.

Instead of replying, yes, he had heard it, Phil began to sing the chorus and Dan quickly joined in. They glanced at each other and laughed. 

“I take that as a yes,” Dan said and Phil laughed again.

Phil was pleasantly surprised that he and Dan had so much in common. He hadn’t expected to have or not have a lot in common, but he was glad.

“Alright,” Dan said as he pulled up next to Phil’s car. “I’ll catch you later.”

“Yeah, see you tomorrow, Dan,” Phil replied as he climbed out of the car. He approached his own car, glanced back at Dan’s, and then climbed in. He started his own car and headed home.

 

As the weekend approached, Phil grew increasingly nervous and excited. Nervous, because he was beginning to crush harder and harder on Dan. And excited, because he loved talking to Dan. 

“So will you be able to hang tomorrow?” Dan asked Phil at the end of their shift on Friday.

“Uh, yeah. I think so,” Phil said. He was starting to think he had a shoulders thing, because he could not stop looking over Dan’s shoulders in his undershirt.

“Cool,” Dan said.

“Yeah, uhm-,” Phil grabbed his phone from the shelf in his locker and said, “I can put your number in my phone and text you tomorrow.”

“Okay, great!” Dan said.

Phil started a new contact as Dan relayed his phone number to him. 

“Cool,” Phil saved the number and put his phone into his pocket. “I’ll text you tomorrow.”

“Cool.”

Dan smiled and Phil grinned back at him. Dan turned back to his locker and continued to put his street clothes back. Phil did the same and left the station for the night.


	3. Chapter Three

It was Saturday. Which meant Phil would be going to Dan’s for a gaming day. Upon waking up, he tried to think of an excuse to skip it. He was on edge and could not come up with a reasonable excuse to let Dan know he would not be able to make it.

Phil decided to head out for his morning jog, hoping that it would relieve some of his tension. He supposed that, if anything, he could come up with an excuse to leave early. He got into track pants and a sweatshirt and left his house, locking it behind him. He briskly walked out to the neighborhood park which had a half-mile long track. He jogged for five miles, stopping after each to do a set of sit ups and push-ups, and then returned to his home. 

While walking up the steps to the front door, he looked over his rose bushes. He noticed several neatly trimmed stems. Occasionally, before seeing his sister, he would trim a rose off and bring it to her. He was very careful and always trimmed the stems at an angle, to allow the bush to grow back. However, these cuttings were done evenly, and he had not trimmed them himself for a few weeks. These were freshly cut.

Phil supposed that maybe a neighbor wanted to put a few into a vase, but was too afraid to ask. He continued up the front steps and something else caught his eye. A white envelope was left on his door mat. He bent over to pick up the envelope, assuming it was a note from the neighbor who cut the rose bushes.

He opened the envelope and instead of finding a note, he found dirt. He poured some over his hand, watching it drift away. He rubbed some of the dirt between his finger, finding that it disintegrated. It was ash. 

“What?” Phil said to himself.

What did it mean?

Phil was at a loss. He glanced over both shoulders, then quickly unlocked the front door, stepped inside, and re-locked it.

He stood there for a moment. He looked through the peephole on the door. He saw no-one.

The rushing of his blood became aware to him and he gulped. 

Maybe it was just a prank. But the roses- and the ashes. He double checked the lock, then went into the kitchen and saw that the back door was, thankfully, still locked as well. He took a breath. 

Should he call the cops? Who should he talk to? Should he talk to anyone? 

He felt as if his heart was in his throat. He gulped, and then took another breath. 

He was just freaking out. It was just some neighborhood kids trying to cause trouble. He repeated this to himself like a mantra.

He walked around the house, making sure all of the windows were shut, and making sure everything was where it belonged. When he returned to the kitchen, he thought he ought to eat something before the tension made him nauseous.

He took out a pan and a bottle of oil. He lightly coated the pan and warmed it as he quickly cut up onions, bell peppers and squash to grill. He put the vegetables into the pan, cooked those, and then added two eggs for protein. As he ate, he realized he did not want to be stuck in this house. Completely alone. He texted Dan.

 

Hey, Dan read on his small phone screen at 10:00. Another text came through, causing his phone to buzz again. It’s phil.

Dan replied and asked if he still wanted to come by.

Yeah, was Phil’s reply. Dan grinned.

Anytime is fine, he typed into the text box and hit send. 

Phil suggested eleven o’clock, to which Dan agreed. Excitedly, Dan began to get ready for Phil’s visit. He showered and got dressed. Normally, for work, Dan would put a bit of gel in his hair, just to tame it down a bit. On the weekends, however, he let it curl. He dried it quickly with a towel and dressed in a pair of jeans and one of his favorite t-shirts.

Closer to eleven, Phil asked for the address to Dan’s place. Dan sent it to him, and began the anxious wait for Phil’s arrival.

GPS says it’ll be 17 minutes, Phil replied. 

Oh perfect, Dan thought, I can count down the minutes. 

He went around the house, making sure nothing was too messy. His house had a naturally lived in state, as it was a rather small place, but there was a place for everything. He wasn’t watching the clock or anything, but after his once-over, he still had eleven minutes for Phil to arrive.

He suddenly wondered why he invited Phil over. Well, naturally he wanted some way to re-pay Phil. He thought he ought to befriend the man. But what if things were awkward suddenly when they were alone.

Dan shook the thoughts from his head. They had things in common and they had things planned out.

When it had been 17 minutes Dan anxiously looked through the living room window above his television. Phil hadn’t arrived yet  
.   
After another three minutes went by, Dan began to wonder. And then he heard the sound of a car pulling up.

A few moments after that, there was a knock on the door. Dan didn’t want to seem to anxious so he took a breath, smoothed out his shirt, and then went up to the door. He peeked out the peephole and saw Phil, who was shuffling his feet and looking at the ground. 

He pulled the door open.

“Hey,” Dan said, smiling. 

“Hey,” Phil said with a smile and an exhale.

“Come on in.” 

Phil ducked into the house. Dan closed the door behind him and then looked back at Phil, who was shifting nervously and eyeing the lock. Dan frowned.

“Are you okay?” Dan asked.

“Huh?” Phil squeaked. He cleared his throat and continued. “Yes. Sorry. I’m fine. I brought a movie.” Phil held up a CD case that came from Redbox. 

“Oh, which movie?” Dan feigned interest. He was still concerned about Phil.

“Doctor Strange. You said you hadn’t seen it yet, right?”

“Right. Cool. Well, go ahead and sit down. Do you want anything to drink? I’ve got water, juice…,” Dan said.

“Maybe just a water,” Phil said. 

“Okay. The living room is right through there, just go ahead and sit down.”

Dan went into the kitchen where he retrieved a bottle of water for Phil. When he returned Phil was furiously bouncing his legs. He tried to restrain himself when Dan returned, but he noticed it.

Dan didn’t bring it up again, hoping that it would subside. But he caught every knuckle crack and leg bounce.

“So, are you excited?” Phil asked Dan, who began putting on his new game.

“For?” Dan replied.

“The game,” Phil explained.

“Oh! Right. Yes,” he smiled at Phil from where he was knelt on the floor. He returned to the couch to sit next to Phil. He stayed a safe, few inches away from him. But couldn’t help but notice the slight warmth they generated. 

Phil watched as Dan played his new game. Then, they decided to play a multi-player game, which finally allowed Phil to properly distract himself.

As Phil relaxed more into the game, he forced himself to believe that teenagers from his neighborhood were pranking him. And soon, he was completely present beside Dan, with nothing to distract himself kicking Dan’s ass.

When he successfully captured the flag, Phil said, “I just had to warm up.”

Dan mock laughed. “You know, maybe we can take a break for lunch.”

“You just don’t want to lose anymore,” Phil accused.

Dan scoffed, but got up to go into the kitchen, beckoning Phil to follow.

In the kitchen, Dan stood in front of the fridge, and then looked in the cupboard. 

“We can make sandwiches,” he suggested.

“Okay,” Phil agreed. 

Dan took out bread for each of them, two different kinds of lunch meat and cheese, as well as lettuce, mayo, and mustard. Phil put his own bread into the toaster he found next to the coffee pot.

Dan began making his own with roast beef and provolone while Phil made his with roast turkey and pepper jack cheese. They both added lettuce and mayo as well. When Phil was done with his sandwich they both sat at the table to eat.

“Thanks,” Phil said in between bites of food.

“You’re welcome,” Dan said through a mouth full of food. 

Phil laughed at that and they quickly ate their sandwiches in silence. When they were done eating Dan got them each a water bottle and moved back to the living room to watch the movie Phil brought with him. 

Phil lowered himself back down to the couch while Dan put the movie on. As he did that, the energy Phil had been releasing through his hands, transferred to his legs and he was bouncing them again. When the movie began and Dan hit ‘play’ he returned to the couch to sit by Phil.

“Oh stop it,” Dan said, and squeezed his knee, in what he hoped was a comforting manner. 

Phil froze and dared a look at Dan. 

Dan looked back at him with the same wide-eyes, but he was concerned for Phil. So in an attempt to make Phil laugh, he said, “Clam down,” like a real-life typo.  
Phil grinned, and then took a deep breath. He settled in to watch the movie. With Dan’s comfort, although brief, he found it much easier to focus on the movie. 

“Ben C is so handsome,” Dan slipped out as the intro began.

Phil glanced over at him. He blinked, then said, “Agreed.”

Dan let out a smile at that and settled further into the couch.

With lots to keep his mind off of things, Phil sat through the movie with Dan. Who, at the end of the movie, agreed that it was amazing.

When Dan was taking the disc out of the DVD player, he asked, “Would you like to stay for dinner? We can get pizza. It’s Saturday, after all.”

“Uh, maybe next time.” Phil said. He was beginning to feel a nervous tightness in his chest and he wanted to get on the move. He didn’t want to stay in one place too long.

“Okay, for sure,” Dan said.

“Just text me whenever and we’ll do something,” Phil said with a smile.

“Okay,” Dan said.

“Well,-“ Phil began, rising from the couch.

“I’ll walk you out,” Dan said and gave the movie to Phil. 

“Cool, thanks.” Phil said.

Dan led the way out of the house and held the door open for him. He shut it behind them. He walked beside Phil to his car, which was parked by the curb. The winter sun was beginning to set already, and Phil was captured by the way it warmed Dan’s brown eyes.

“Well, thanks for inviting me over. And thanks for lunch and stuff.”

“No problem.”

“But yeah, text me some time. But I’ll see you on Monday,” he said.

“Okay. Have a nice night,” Dan said as Phil unlocked his car and climbed in.

“Have a good night,” Phil replied with a nod. He let Dan shut the car door for him and then waved as he was pulling away from the curb.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> pls comment on this major flop lmao


	4. Chapter Four

Dan resisted texting Phil over the remainder of the weekend. He did not want to bug the man. But he was also still concerned for Phil. It was the first time he’d seen Phil display so much anxiety.

On Monday morning, Dan greeted Phil when he entered locker room and said, “How are you?”

“Uhm,” Phil said, taking in Dan’s concerned look and attempting a smile. “Fine. How are you?”

“Not bad,” Dan said with a smile. “You have a good weekend?”

“Yeah, it was fine,” Phil said.

Phil turned away to start changing, also allowing Dan to continue changing  
.  
Phil seemed more relaxed that morning, but Dan wasn’t completely fooled. He remained observant over the week. They chatted while at work, and engaged in light discussion regarding music and other media. 

On Friday, they got a call. Immediately, the men stopped what they were doing. They all set aside what they were working on and went to equip their gear. Boots squeaked as they went into the garage and climbed onto the fire truck. A few of them called out in their booming voices, reminders of protocols and reminders to hustle.

Dan was aware of Phil just behind him. He climbed up onto the truck, and then offered Phil his hand. He took the offering and pulled himself onto the large vehicle.  
The garage doors opened and the men exited the building on the truck. 

Traveling through the city was Dan’s least favorite part. Whenever they approached cars he feared they would not have a clear path. However, to his relief, they did not encounter much difficulty on the roads.

A plume of smoke slowly became visible as they approached the address they were called for. It was a home in a neighborhood. In a way, Phil was relieved. Only one family was affected this way. No matter any amount of people affected was a tragedy. However, if only a small building caught fire it usually meant less people were hurt. To their relief it appeared the entire family was on the lawn. 

As they approached, the family watched. They seemed to be in shock, but seemed safe. Men jumped off of the truck. Someone instructed the family to sit, while a few of the men set to work on putting the flame out. The flames were billowing out of the front window, causing the ceiling to cave in.

“Is anyone inside?” Dan asked the woman who appeared to be the mother. She was a brunette, wide-hipped, woman.

“No,” she said, but began to weep. 

Neighbors were watching curiously. Another one of them asked people to stay a safe distance from the house. Police quickly pulled up as well as an ambulance. 

“Do you need anything from the house?” Dan asked

“Just my laptop,” she said through short breaths. “It has,” she stopped, and looked at the home with wide-eyes, “all my pictures!” She burst into a fit of sobs and the man who seemed to be the father of the family, quickly pulled her into his arms. 

“Where is the laptop?”

“The office,” the father said.

Dan quickly turned to the house. The front entrance way was, miraculously, not obstructed, as the other men had just entered through there as well. 

“Everyone is safe,” Phil explained to the police when they approached as he was remaining outside.

“Good,” a female cop said, and approached the family who were now sitting around the back of the ambulance. 

A woman pulled up in a blue-car, parked off to the side of the road. “Oh my god.” This woman approached the ambulance. “Carol, I can’t believe-!”

“Ma’am, you need to stay back," the female officer said to the woman. 

The woman who must’ve been named Carol, said, through a sob “No, please let her by.”

The officer obliged.

“Carol I’m so sorry!”

This woman comforted the mother of the family of five as she sobbed.

Phil surveyed the scene. This neighborhood seemed relatively new, quiet, and calm. It didn’t seem right to him. Most home fires were caused from old buildings having some sort of electrical issue or leak of some kind.

He looked over the neighborhood. Most families were standing on their front porches, or lawns, or even further down in the middle of the street.

The police were explaining to the father that they would hold an investigation to determine what caused the fire. Then Phil noticed one man, who was walking down the street as if he were bored of the scene. As if he had seen enough. For a moment he thought he might’ve been familiar, but then his attention was brought to Dan bringing the laptop out of the home and to the family.

Later that afternoon, their boss, Jake, was congratulating the men on a job well done. However, the entire incident still did not sit right with Phil. He kept the suspicions to himself.

The other men were discussing going for a beer after the end of the shift. Phil though, excused himself from it and went home, insisting that he was too tired. Dan did the same, claiming he had important errands to run as he did not want to bother considering Phil opted out. 

However, when Phil left the building, Dan rushed to catch up. He tossed his things into his locker and pulled on his jacket as he headed out to the parking lot.  
“Hey Phil!” he called out.

Phil stopped at his own car and turned around to look at Dan. 

“Yes?” Phil said.

“I was wondering. Because I haven’t really properly thanked you for before. That we could do lunch or something tomorrow.” He quickly rattled off the name of a restaurant he hoped Phil would like.

“Oh, I don’t know. I really am awfully tired.” He insisted.

“Uh, well. Okay,” Dan said. “But let me know if you change your mind.”  
“Okay,” Phil said. 

“Have a good night,” Dan said and Phil replied: “You too.”

Dan frowned as he turned away and headed towards his own vehicle. 

Over the weekend, Phil remained at home with the door locked and the blinds pulled. He never had a preference for living alone or with company. But until recently, he would have really preferred living with another person.

On Sunday morning, after he did his work outs, he decided to send Dan a text.

What are you doing today? I’m down for lunch. 

On the other side of town Dan had just made his morning smoothie after going for a run. Due to the noise level of the blender, he didn’t notice he had gotten a text until he sat down at his dining table. He took a sip as he unlocked his phone and seeing that Phil texted him, he nearly choked.

He coughed and set the smoothie aside to reply.

Not much, Dan replied. What time would you like to go?

Maybe 1? Was Phil’s response. 

Okay. I’ll meet you there then. 

Dan anxiously downed his smoothie and then took a shower to prepare for lunch.

He rarely gelled his hair down for anything outside of work, but decided to, just for lunch. He also wore his best jeans, but convinced himself that he was just wearing his favorite.  
“Whatever,” he eventually mumbled to himself. 

He wanted to arrive before Phil, so he left early. Over the drive there, he considered asking the host at the restaurant to sit at the bar, or if they should sit in the dining room.  
He reasoned that the bar might be more casual and comfortable to sit at. It’s not as if they were on a date or anything, Dan thought to himself as he approached the restaurant.  
He found a parking space and went into the cool, air-conditioned building. Once inside the host directed him to the bar and once he was settled at a stool, he texted Phil to let him know he was there. 

After hitting send he took a breath and wiped the palms of his hands on his jeans. The bartender, a black woman with her hair tied back, greeted him.  
“What can I get you today?” she asked.

“Just a water for now. I’m waiting for someone.”

“Alright,” the woman said and a few moments later she returned with a water, placing it in front of him from across the counter. 

The bar had an open window, where people were sitting at. He idly, distractedly, people watched for a few minutes, until he noticed a figure at his left.  
He glanced up to see Phil climbing onto a bar stool. 

“Hey!” Dan smiled widely.

“Hey,” Phil said somewhat quietly. He settled into the stool and sighed.

“Are you having a good weekend?”

“It’s okay,” Phil said. “And yours?”

“Not too bad,” Dan replied.

They chatted idly for a few moments, and then the bartender approached them. She offered beer as well as one of the restaurants signature drinks. 

Phil had looked over the menu and named what he wanted and Dan decided to take a beer.

“Okay, I’ll get that going right now.”

They continued to chat as they watched her make the fruity drink Phil asked for. 

“It’s always fun to watch them make those,” Dan said, referring to mixed drinks.

“Oh, yeah,” Phil agreed. 

When the woman returned with their drinks, she asked if they were ordering food as well. 

“Uhm, yeah,” Phil said.

“But not yet,” Dan jumped in. 

“Okay,” the bartender smiled at them. She left them to their drinks.

Phil glanced around the restaurant. Dan glanced at him.

“Uh, this place is nice,” Phil said.

“Oh. Yeah, it’s like my favorite.”

“Can I actually ask you something?” Phil said quietly, glancing around again.

“Sure,” Dan drawled cautiously.

“That last call we got… Did it seem strange to you? At all?” Phil asked, lower this time.

“No?” Dan said. 

“I just. Okay, nevermind. Anyways.” Phil shrugged and went on to mention a new album that was recently released. He turned his glass around and around in between each hand.

Dan paused before responding, watching Phil carefully. To Phil’s relief, Dan didn’t press the issue further.

Over the next hour they discussed lighter topics. They ate and drank and watched the television that was running on the wall above the bar.

Phil seemed to grow more relaxed over the hour. Maybe it was his drink. But after a little while, he stopped looking over his shoulder, Dan noticed.

He felt as if there was something Phil was not sharing. 

“So,” Dan began as he paid and was waiting for the receipt. “I just want you to know,-“ Dan began, but Phil stopped him. 

“I know what you’re gonna say,” Phil said. “And honestly I was just doing my job.”

“No, I know, but its worth more than just, like, “let me buy you a beer.”” Dan argued. “Like you buy someone beer if they help you move, you know what I mean.” Dan paused. “You saved my freaking life.”

“Yeah, but-.”

“I just want you to know. Honestly, if you ever need anything. You can let me know, okay?”

Phil pursed his lips and said, “Okay.”

“Okay,” Dan said.

“Thank you so much for coming in,” the bartender said as she returned the receipt and check book to Dan.

“I’ll tip,” Phil insisted, taking the book from the counter. He slipped some money into the book and returned it to the counter for the bartender. 

“Okay.” 

The both of them slipped off of their bar stools. 

“I’ll walk you out to your car,” Dan said and Phil did not argue. 

Maybe Dan had been buzzed from his beer, or he was feeling slightly emotional, but something caused him to pull Phil into a quick, tight hug. He released Phil before he could even reciprocate.

“Uh, okay.” Phil said. “See you later.”

“Have a good night. Drive safe. Etc. Etc.” Dan said as he pulled open the drive side door for Phil, allowing him to climb in. 

Dan returned to his own car, waited and watched while Phil pulled away so he could wave, and then climbed into his own car.


End file.
